Since the hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center in February, the White House has not had a single kind or positive word to say about the Kennedy Center – a place he has never entered.
At a recent dinner with the new Kennedy Center board (filled with White House loyalists), there was nothing but criticism for the previous management, the theater itself, and the programming with remarks including, “I don’t know where they spent it. They certainly didn’t spend it on wallpaper, carpet, or painting.”
In reference to the programming it was called “woke” and “terrible” with not explanations of what “woke” meant and saying the, “programming was out of control with rampant political propaganda, DEI, and inappropriate shows” remarking that it included “dance parties for queer and trans youth,” a “Marxist anti-police performance,” and “lesbian-only Shakespeare” as examples; but as usual gave no specific titles.
New director Richard Grenell referred to the maintenance of the Center as “criminal” and said the Kennedy Center had a $26 million deficit.
Unceremoniously ousted from her position, former president Deborah Rutter issued a statement of her own saying, “I am deeply troubled by the false allegations regarding the management of the Kennedy Center being made by people without the context or expertise to understand the complexities involved in nonprofit and arts management, which has been my professional experience for 47 years.” – eleven of which were at the Kennedy Center. She also noted that EVERY budget had been approved by the Kennedy Center board. She also left the Center with a $10 million reserve.
Former board chair (also ousted in February) David M. Rubinstein noted, “with full transparency, the financial reports were reviewed and approved by the Kennedy Center’s audit committee and full board as well as a major accounting firm.”
A non-profit organization, all Kennedy Center financial records are open to the public.
Rutter added, “perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management, which would include the Board of Trustees, some of whom were appointed by President Trump, in his previous term. This malicious attempt to distort the facts, which were consistently, transparently, and readily available in professionally audited financial reports, recklessly disregards the truth.”
Along with the non-Republican board members, and Rutter, several of the Center employees have been let go. Those that remain have formed a union saying, “we no longer believe our institution trusts us and we not longer trust our institution.”
Amidst massive budget cuts to arts programs and facilities, the White House has asked Congress for $257 million to make upgrades and repairs to the Kennedy Center. Among the cuts was the $207 million annual budget for the National Endowment for the Arts; $43 million of which went to the Kennedy Center.
Among all the criticisms and complaints, the Kennedy Center has released its lineup for the 2025-26 theatre season. Included in the programming are previously performed productions “Spamalot” and Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and the non-union productions of “Chicago” and “Mrs. Doubtfire”.
Other productions include “The Outsiders”, “Back to the Future”, “The Shamrock Tenors”, “Champions of Magic”, “The Improvised Shakespeare Company”, “Bluey Returns!”, and the improv show “Shear Madness”.
Since the takeover, a number of artists have cancelled their shows at the Kennedy Center. The musical “Hamilton” has cancelled their performance next year, and several actors in a production have refused to appear.